Noah's Journey (Sawyer Brothers #3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

We continued to have a stare-down, because whether he liked it or not, he would be explaining what this little interrogation meant. I knew there was more to it. When he didn’t add anything, I decided to put a stop to this shit real quick.
    “So if you think something is going on with me and Stacey, then I’m sure Amber does too. Which means Bailey and Alena think so too, right?” When his eyes widened, I knew I’d gotten to the heart of the matter. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Alena.”
    “You really haven’t spent much time talking to her, have you?” he asked. “Last I heard, the only thing she gets from you anymore is maybe a text here or there. It’s been close to two weeks now since Stacey came back. How many times have you seen Alena since then?”
    “I’m spending time with my son,” I said as anger rose within me.
    “And that’s good, but does that mean you can’t at least call Alena, or even stop by to say hey? Or has that obvious attraction you had to her now dwindled?” He still wore that shitty-ass look on his face. It was really beginning to piss me off.
    “I don’t think this is any of your business, but if you must know, I do still, in fact, have an attraction for Alena.”
    “That’s good, but just so you know, brother, this is my business. Alena is Amber’s cousin, and when you fuck her over, that shit affects my home life. I told you from the beginning, if you remember, that if you didn’t have good intentions, you should leave Alena alone.”
    “I got blindsided by the fact I have a son, Ryan. A son I haven’t been present for during the first four years of his life. I’m dealing with his crazy-ass mother, who thinks she and I are going to be something more to each other than two people who have a child together. That is a lot of fucked up, in a really short time.”
    I had been holding shit back, trying to keep the peace, but I needed to vent. “Every damn day I am scared shitless that Stacey is gonna pick up and take Austin back to L.A. I worry about upsetting her, because if she takes him from me again, it will crush me. I don’t know how to balance this all out. Maybe that’s why I’ve kept my distance from Alena. She doesn’t need this shit.”
    My outburst had gained the attention of a few officers around us. Ryan’s features softened as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
    “I’m sorry. I guess I just know what shit Stacey is capable of, and it’s not just you I’m worried about, it’s Alena too,” Ryan added before he stood up and walked back toward his office.
    I knew over the last two weeks I’d only talked to Alena a couple times and texted her a few times in between those calls. My head was so messed up with Stacey and my own fear that I was backing away from Alena. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I was just so afraid of losing Austin again that I wasn’t doing anything other than working and spending time with him.
    After taking a few more minutes to calm down, I picked up my phone and sent a text to Alena.
     
    Me: Are you free tonight?
     
    After about five minutes with no response, I hung my head in frustration. My life had become a whirlwind of shit in a matter of days, and I wasn’t sure how to make it all work.
     
    ***
     
    My shift was just ending, and I had intended on stopping by the bakery to see Alena. But as I stepped out the front doors of the station, I froze in the doorway.
    Stacey’s red sports car was parked next to my old Ford truck, and she had my tailgate down. Sitting on the edge with his feet dangling over, Austin waved at me enthusiastically. Damn kid could make all this shit worth it with just a smile.
    Stacey leaned against the tailgate just at Austin’s side. She wore a tiny red tank top and the shortest jean skirt I had ever seen. Her blonde hair was hanging in big, long ringlets down her back and over her shoulders. She looked beautiful. But I knew beneath that beauty was an ugly, conniving,